OT: witfal - how to blow your hand off

This is hilarious, but only because he'll be okay. He broke the Cardinal Rule of reloading. Never have more than one powder at your bench at one time. Rule number two is to always try to use a powder whose charge nearly fills the case, or fills it enough that a double-charge would overflow.

This guy really need to examine his lack of safety habits.

AA #7 instead of Reloder 7---that's a BIG difference!

I'd say so.

I don't reload. What's with these two different powders?

AA #7 is for handgun loads. Reloader 7 is for rifle.

Far different burn rates.

Burn rates, LOL. Have another toke whitless.

Pistol and shotgun powders have far faster burn rates then rifle powders, meaning they release their energy much faster. Rifle powders burn (relatively) more slowly and release their energy over a longer time.

Loading very much fast burning pistol powder into a rifle round is essentially building a pipe bomb, because the powder releases its energy so quickly that the surrounding steel fails before the bullet has had a chance to clear the bore and give the pressure an avenue of escape.

Pistol powders CAN be used to load rifle cartridges at vastly reduced levels, typically for shooting cast lead bullets. A very common load for such cartridges as 308 or 30/06 would be 5-10 grains of a pistol powder like AA7. 48 grains would be like the pictures you saw.

Conversely, you can't get enough of a slow burning powder into a handgun cartridge to get much of a bang.

My God, you're not trying to teach the exsspurt whitless a lesson in gunpowder are you?

Like I said, different burn rates. ;-) A good, detailed description above.

Ever popped off a double charge? Years ago when I used an RCBS single stage, I double-charged a .44 mag. I forget which powder I was using, but it wasn't a round that I'll ever forget even though the normal charge was a light load. I use a Dillon progressive now, with that just not too likely to happen.

Actually, I was elaborating on a response to a question from JSB.

Don't think I've ever had a double charge, but I have had a round without powder. POP, and then a bullet stuck in the bore that I had to drive out with a dowel and a hammer.

That's safer than a double charge, unless you don't notice it and touch off another round behind it!

About the same time I had the double-charge, give or take a month or two, the guy next to me at an outdoor range had just that happen.

I'm not sure if he had no powder at all or if it was a squib load. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he had fired, looked strangely at his revolver, and was just about to fire again. I yelled at him to stop. We checked his Python, and sure enough, a bullet was just past the forcing cone.

Had he fired, he might have injured himself, me, and the guy on his right. He then proceeds to take out yet another revolver and starts to shoot. Every few rounds, I'm getting hit on the right side of my face with shaved, hot lead spitting from the flash gap. Definitely an alignment problem. I told him he ought to hang it up for the day, as things just weren't going well for him.

I never went back to that range again. I'm thinking it was built on an old Indian burial ground.

You reminded me of firing at a range at Point Mugu CA. while in the Army Reserve. After we fired for record with govt .45s, we had lots of time so we were allowed to fire our own weapons. I had borrowed a National Match .45 from a friend which fired beautifully (and doubled the score I had from firing the old issue .45) and the fellow next to me (a Lieutenant in the Calif. Highway Patrol) fired his service revolver, a .38 Colt revolver. Then we switched pistols, and both aimed at the same time. I fired first and he said "OW!" and sucked at a little wound that just broke the skin on one of his fingers. He explained that his revolver occasionally shaved some lead, and I responded "Well, I guess I'm in big trouble now, having shot a Highway Patrolman with his own gun!" ...............and we had a good laugh.

It's amazing how little time is spent on some cop weapons in the way of proper maintenance. I know only two who treat their pistols the way they deserve. Cleaning, practice, and occasional armory work all contribute to the ability of that gun to save a life.

Too true, Wit. Though some police folks are certified gun-nuts and thoroughly educated in gun lore and maintenance, many of them treat their sidearm like a typewriter, and scarcely know what kind of gun they carry - to them it's just weight on their belt that they have to qualify with annually or so. You have to wonder if some even know what caliber they are, because after all "they give me the bullets".

I'll bet most can't even change a firing pin spring, let alone use proper cleaning techniques, i.e. from the breach end on semi-autos.